Daniel Farke is known to be stubborn when it comes to players in the first team. His time at Leeds United has shown that many times.
He is the kind of coach to stick to something that works, and rarely makes changes to it.
Farke was forced to change his style after promotion when it looked like Leeds were going to be relegated. Their form took a nose dive and before the end of the year, he mixed things up.
He changed the formation and some players in the starting lineup. Leeds then went on a run into the new year, picking up crucial points that helped them at the end of the season.
Sometimes his stubbornness goes down to player selection too; he often tries something that doesn’t work before dropping it.
Just last year, he persisted with Brenden Aaronson as a right winger before switching the American’s role midway through the season.
Farke is driving £15m Leeds star towards the Elland Road exit
Sean Longstaff
Credit: Imago
Credit must be given to the Leeds United boss, sometimes he finds a solution that makes players better. Moving Noah Okafor to a more central role in the 3-5-2 unlocked his goalscoring, and the James Justin tweak is something the team still benefits from.
Since last year, one player has been sidelined from the first team through no fault of his own.
Against Sunderland, Sean Longstaff came on in the 89th minute for just his sixth appearance of the season. This is a shocking turnaround from the previous campaign.
When Leeds signed Longstaff, he was a starter in the team. His unique blend of steel and physicality made him a good fit in the lineup. But after his injury a few months into the campaign, he never worked his way back.
Longstaff fell down the pecking order behind Ilia Gruev and Ao Tanaka. Now, Farke does not even give him meaningful minutes. Rumours emerged that the midfielder could look for a way out in the summer, and now things are looking very real.
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Sean Longstaff will get suitors
If Sean Longstaff wants to leave Leeds United in January, he will get a club. Many teams across the league can do with a very experienced midfielder at this level who can contribute defensively and score goals.
It is a shame things did not really work out under Farke, and none of it was really his fault.
The injury ruled him out for a while and by the time he returned to the team, they had found their groove and a winning formula.
He is still a good player; Leeds’ FA cup run to Wembley showed that he still has quality.
Losing him would be a blow, but with how Farke is treating him, the club will most likely not be against a transfer exit.
